The present invention relates to a wheel axle mounting structure for a roller skate, and more particularly to such a wheel axle mounting structure which comprises a stainless steel guard frame for protecting the parts of the wheel axle mounting structure.
In a roller skate, a guard may be provided to protect the axle holder. The guard is molded from plastic and directly clamped on the holder base of the axle holder, having a locating plate in the middle sandwiched in between a mounting frame, which is fixed to the sole plate of the roller skate, and a top ring cap, which holds a top cushion above the axle holder. This guard mounting arrangement has drawbacks. Because the two opposite ends of the guard are suspended from the holder base of the axle holder, the guard tends to displace, and the locating plate of the guard tends to be broken, thereby causing the guard to disconnect from the axle holder.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a wheel axle mounting structure for a roller skate which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. According to one aspect of the present invention, the wheel axle mounting structure comprises an axle holder fastened to a mounting frame at a bottom side of a sole plate of a roller skate by a bolt and a pair of cushions and a pair of ring caps and having a holder base holding an axle, two wheels mounted on two opposite ends of the axle and a guard frame fastened to the axle to protect the holder base of the axle holder, wherein the guard frame has two ends caps with coupling means respectively and detachably coupled to the two opposite ends of the axle, the end caps having a respective outside flange respectively disposed in contact with the wheels and serving as cushion means. Because the outside flanges of the end caps serve as cushion means, the installation of the wheels is simplified. According to another aspect of the present invention, coupling means of each end cap comprises a mounting slot by which the respective end cap is forced into engagement with the axle, a locating slot intersecting the mounting slot for permitting the axle to be retained in the crossed area between the mounting slot and the locating slot. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the mounting slot has a width made gradually wider from the locating slot toward the outside, therefore the end caps of the guard frame can be conveniently attached to the axle. According to still another aspect of the present invention, the end caps of the guard frame comprise a respective pair of projecting strips respectively hooked on respective end edges of the holder base of the axle holder, and therefore the guard frame is firmly secured to the axle holder.